How To Keep A Conan
by LadyShadow26
Summary: When Shinichi goes to Tropical Land he discovers something rather unexpected... He now has to deal with a tiny new house guest in the form of the newly dubbed "Conan". There are so many questions that come with him, not the least of which is: "How does one keep a Conan?"
1. Chapter 1

_**Authors note: Hello Everybody and welcome to my newest tale:**_ _ **How To Keep A Conan**_ _ **. I know Ive got a million projects backlogged at the moment, but I've been rather busy with work and thus haven't had much time to write. I hope you'll accept my apology and this short little start to a new "series" set in the AU based loosely off the "**_ _ **How To Keep A Mummy**_ _ **" anime/manga series. I hope you all will enjoy and leave any comments/questions for me!**_

 _ **Betaed by the lovely DisconsolateMist! Thank you much!**_

 _ **I do not own DC characters. If I did we'd see a lot more of teenage Shinichi. Please support Goshos works!**_

It was a day just like any other day for Shinichi Kudo, Heisei Holmes and Savior of the Japanese Police Force. Well, most any other day. It had all started out fairly normally. He had taken his childhood friend out to the amusement park as a reward for winning the karate tournament. Ran had been rather enthusiastic about it, though Shinichi had almost wished in a way that he hadn't made such a promise.

Things, of course, had taken a pretty dark turn after a murder occured, literally right behind him. While this wasn't too unusual an occurrence for him, it had upset Ran. Of course, he solved the case in record time, but Ran was still crying afterwards. He did his best to comfort her, though it did little in the end except cause her to yell his ear off.

Now out of the corner of his eye, Shinichi caught sight of one of the two suspicious men that had been acting shifty during the murder case. Saying a quick goodbye to Ran he went off in the direction that the man in black had been headed. In another world he may have caught up with him and been stuck in a rather different situation… However in this case a different fate decided to intervene.

Shinichi cursed under his breath glancing around in the darkness. He had just lost sight of the man for a moment, but apparently that moment had been enough. There was no one else in sight. He could see the glow of lights from some of the larger Tropical Land rides and still hear the distant cacophony of music and park goers staying late.

He paused. Suddenly among the noises he heard something strange. It sounded almost like a kittens mewl, only not quite. He blinked, trying to focus on the sound. However, the noise went as quickly as it had come and Shinichi spotted nothing in the darkness around him.

Shinichi was about to give up and walk away when suddenly, he heard it again. A sound so small and high pitched he wouldn't have heard it had he not been listening for it. He glanced in the direction of the sound, noticing a small lump no bigger than his hand.

Shinichi kneeled down next to it, reaching out a curious hand. The lump stirred, causing Shinichi to start a bit. He quickly recovered however, continuing to reach out a slightly more hesitant hand. The being shivered beneath him, apparently afraid of him. He picked it up carefully, its tremors suddenly stopping as he handled it.

Now, as a detective, little could surprise Shinichi. However there was absolutely nothing that could prepare him for what happened next.

There, lying in his hand, covered in dirt and what looked like matted blood, was a tiny figure no bigger than 7 cm. It looked almost like a pitch black doll, slightly human in appearance, but with no features other than a couple of pupiless eyes and a mouth.

Shinichi stared at it, momentarily examining it. Had this really been the source of the noise? He glanced around trying to see if anything else could account for the strange sound he had heard. However, it seemed he was still alone out here. He turned back to the doll, only to see its head had shifted, and it seemed to be staring down at his thumb.

It happened rather suddenly, that Shinichi found the tiny mouth clamp down on his thumb. Crying out in surprise and pain, Shinichi released the tiny figure from his hand, and it fell without as much as a sound to the ground below where he had found it.

Shinichi held his now bleeding thumb, glaring down at the tiny figure below him. He blinked as he noticed that the figure seemed to be writhing in its own sort of pain. His eyes widened as he watched steam rise from its body, it crying out in agony.

Then, as quickly as it began, it ended. Shinichi stood in silence, blinking down at the figure. Something truly strange had just happened, Shinichi noted as he stared down at what now looked like a fully human doll, having everything from hair to a detailed body. He blushed lightly, realizing the figure was completely naked. He quickly withdrew his handkerchief from his pocket, throwing it down and wrapping it around the tiny "doll's" unconscious body. It was breathing very lightly. So still alive at least.

He glanced around, a thousand questions whirring around in his mind: What exactly just happened? What was this thing? Where did it come from? How was this even possible? He tried to wrap his head around everything. In the distance, he caught wind of two distinct voices he knew from earlier that night, snapping his mind back to attention.

He didn't know what drove him, but he quickly found himself hiding in the shadows as the two voices drew nearer.

"What a night. Seems we've managed to get it all over with, though. Honestly, who could have expected all that nonsense?" Shinichi watched as the bulky man in black he had been searching for earlier came around the corner, his partner having returned to his side. "So you disposed of it, then?"

The man with the silver hair grinned a dark grin, his face illuminated by the cigarette in his mouth. "Yes. The worthless thing is gone. That woman should be grateful we're cleaning up her mess."

"What even was that thing, Aniki? It looked like some sort of weird doll." The bulkier one mused.

Shinichi's breath hitched as his grip on the figure in his handkerchief tightened. Were they talking about it?

The silver haired man scowled. "Beats me. Some pet science project. Doesn't matter now, it's dead and gone."

Shinichi held his breath as the two suspicious men passed him by. Normally he would have confronted such obvious criminals head on, but there was very little evidence to be had here other than word of mouth. His instincts kept him frozen there, even as the two men slipped away in a deep black vehicle, into the night.

Only after they had long since retreated did Shinichi find himself running home in the opposite direction at a sprint, tiny figure still enwrapped in his handkerchief. Time to get some answers. The men had mentioned a "science project", and there was only one man that Shinichi knew he could trust with his current situation: Professor Hiroshi Agasa.

 _ **Post Note: So how was it? I know its way shorter than most of my other works but these 1000 or so word chapters are easier on me workload wise so hopefully Ill be able to dish em out relatively frequently. I know there are a lot of questions and Ill try my best to answer them in due time. For now I hope you all enjoyed the introduction to this story. Until next time!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Authors note: Hello Everybody and welcome to chapter 2 of HTKAC. Sorry for the bit of delay. As mentioned before lifes been keeping me pretty busy. That and my betas are also really busy atm, so I havent really had the chance to edit this until this point. That being said:**_

 _ **Thank you to my lovely betas DisconsolateMist and BloodyCoreOfHope for their hard work! There were red marks all over the place this time and I couldn't be more grateful for their assistance!**_

 _ **Now without further ado. Usual disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas in my head. Please support the official creator! All that said...Enjoy!**_

Half way home it had started raining, and of course the figure had been reawakened from all the movement, as he was bounced around in Shinichi's hands. It had struggled in his grip at first, trying its best to escape. The normally level-minded Shinichi was feeling a bit shaken by this whole situation. He tried his best to remain calm, despite all that had happened; "Hey, stop struggling, would you?! I promise, I don't want to hurt you." Well, mostly calm.

The figure continued struggling until Shinichi almost lost his grip on it. Grabbing it before it could fall to the ground below, he raised it so they were nose to nose. Shinichi's voice dropped a bit, to something softer. "Hey, I said calm down...Look, I'm trying to help you."

For a few moments their blue eyes connected, locked in a staring contest. The figure still looked a bit panicked, but had ceased its struggling and was now remaining perfectly still. Shinichi blinked. Had it understood him?

Now that he thought about it, the figure in his hands did seem to be to be semi-intelligent, albeit animalistic. Like a frightened animal. An animal he still knew nothing about.

The figure let out a small whine, shivering in his hands and hiding deeper in the handkerchief. "Hang in there...I'll get you somewhere dry." The figure let out yet another cry. Shinichi frowned, unsure as to what to do. His mind was lost in thought, the questions from earlier still plaguing his thoughts. The many thoughts of of the strange men in black and their words left him feeling uneasy.

Just then he noticed a nearby telephone booth. Thinking quickly, he placed the figure in one of his pockets, careful not to squeeze it. It had seemingly fallen unconscious again. He then went to call a cab.

_(O~O)_

Before he knew it, he was standing outside of the Professor's dark house. Of course, he was out. Shinichi sighed to himself. "Probably gone out to dinner again. I should have expected." The figure he held shifted, though it let out no sound.

"Well, it can't be helped. Let's get you inside." Shinichi trudged over to his own gate, opened it and quickly shuffled inside. Removing his shoes rather hastily, he walked into the lounge and took his jacket off. He wrapped the figure in the jacket for further warmth and protection.

Carefully placing his jacket on the small, western style couch, he leaned down to examine the figure within, once more it shivered deeply, snuggling farther into the fabric for warmth. Shinichi stared at him for a moment, before going to sit down in his favorite chair, adjacent to the couch.

He sat with his legs crossed, resting his hand against his chin in a deep-thinking position. Shinichi had to admit, he was a bit lost... He had never really taken care of anything before. Even though he had a soft spot for dogs, his parents had never gotten him one. He was often too caught up in either soccer practice, reading, or cases to have enough time to deal with the responsibility of owning a pet. Though, honestly this figure was a far cry from a "pet".

Shinichi shook his head lightly, still trying to wrap his thoughts around the strange creature. He could still see it shivering in cold, despite the fabric he had wrapped around it. Well, that would probably be the best place to start. "Alright. I guess first things first you need something to wear, huh?"

Picking up the figure lightly, making sure to keep his handkerchief wrapped around for some degree of warmth, he carried it gently into the other room: his mother's old sewing room.

It was rather dusty from lack of use. Shinichi flushed in embarrassment, as he glanced around at the various bits of cloth and "disguise material" left untouched. It reminded him of just how much his parents could be contrary to each other. While his father was neat and meticulous in his work, his mother was far more disorganized.

Searching around carefully, he set the figure down softly into a pile of fabric atop a side table. Quickly, he went to work searching for what he was sure was there among the many chests and drawers. Despite the mess, he knew his mother well enough to deduce where she kept the stuff he was looking for.

Finding some small fabric dolls with relatively simple designs, he placed them beside the figure on the table. "These ought to do." The fabric dolls were clothed with the likeness of some of his mother's home crafted outfits. One even had a pair of tiny glasses on it, that were a pretty decent replica of his father's, despite having no glass in the frames.

The figure seemed to stare at the dolls, uncertain what to make of them. Shinichi also gazed at the dolls, waiting to see if the figure would recognize what was before him. For a few minutes, they sat in silence, and the figure raised a tiny hand to its face as if in contemplation.

Once more, Shinichi considered the idea that the figure was not entirely sentient until suddenly...It picked up one of the dolls and began to remove the shirt from it. Shinichi's eyes widened, and he felt a grin forming on his face. It _did_ understand.

He paused, trying to take in the implications. What a strange thing he had come across! It had his detective instincts flaring. So many unanswered questions. He stood up and paced, keeping his legs busy, while his mind was filled to the brim with thoughts. There were a lot of doubts there too, and once again, he was met with the overwhelming urge to protect his new discovery.

Just then, he heard a small cough. Shinichi turned around to find the figure standing, fully clothed, now with an outfit that caught him a bit off balance. The figure had chosen a soft white undershirt with a blue blazer. The shorts he wore were of a light shade of blue. It had also chosen to wear the oversized glasses for unknown reasons. That wasn't what truly threw Shinichi the most.

What left Shinichi the most unbalanced was the figure's now truly uncanny appearance. Glancing at an old family photo set up on the table where the figure was standing, it hit Shinichi for the first time. This figure looked like a miniature younger version of himself!

 _ **So ends chapter 2 of HTKAC. Hope yall are having as fun a ride as I am. The "plot" is starting off a bit slow, but we need to hopefully get to know Conan a bit first. He hasn't got a name yet, but that is coming soon enough. Probably next chapter. Shinichi has had an awful lot on his mind atm. (The author does too, its hard to keep my head on straight)**_

 _ **Thank you to all who read/reviewed last chapter! I appreciate all comments/feedback, and if you have any questions/concerns please let me know! I do my best to reply where I can.**_

 _ **See you all next chapter!**_


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